Mr. Cheeks Goes to the Hospital: Post Spica Cast Three Weeks

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Post Spica Cast Three Weeks

What a difference a few weeks make! Instead of crying when we approach him, Alan starts laughing and clapping because he knows we're going somewhere. We went on a staycation this weekend where Alan happily hopped around the pool on one foot and romped among the hotel pillows with the biggest grin. We will often find him crawling towards the door, saying "Go, go, go!" He is happy and active - what more could we ask for?

He hasn't put any weight on the bad leg yet, but he is standing and even cruising (well, hopping) along tables and chairs now. He has been able to climb onto the sofa, and Harold found him making his way up the stairs yesterday! There is even some limited chasing of bubbles. Because he is moving around so much, we have stopped putting him in the hip brace. It provided some comforting support for him in the beginning, but now it was starting to get in the way. We are still using the foot brace as much as possible until we see Doc L in three weeks.

Since he is obviously comfortable now, we have started scheduling PT sessions for him after he finishes the first round of chemo next week. Discussing the situation with our PT, we asked what comes first? do we wait for him to bear weight on his bad leg before starting therapy, or do we start therapy so he is able to bear weight? He usually defers to the comfort level of the parents, but seeing Alan's progress in the last few weeks, he thinks it's a good time to start pushing him a little. We agreed and set up several sessions. Eventually, once we're past the upcoming appointments in Houston for scans and follow ups, he will have sessions back to back with his big brother. In another move back towards normality, Alan and Kevin are once again sharing their bedroom. We will start chemotherapy on Monday - one more step on the road to finishing treatment.